Expansible bracelet



May 25, 1954 HElNZ 2,679,147

EXPANSIBLE BRACELET Filed Nov. 16, 1951 INVENTOR' flZBE/E'f' l/[l/VZ 4 25 BYWWW ATTO RN EY Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EXPANSIBLE BRACELET Application November 16, 1951, Serial No. 256,731

4 Claims. 3;

This invention relates to an expansible band to be employed. as a wrist watch bracelet or an ornamental bracelet, which may be placed around a wrist or arm without any looking or fastening device.

Expansible bracelets are known in the art, especially wrist watch bracelets of various constructions and designs, for instance bracelets consisting of many individual links. These links are either telescopically movable within each other or of the lazy tongue type construction normally held closed by spring action. The latter type consists of upper and lower links, each link bein pivotally connected to three other links. Constructions are relatively expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, such bracelets are rather rigid edgewise, which is disadvantageous, when moving the arm or wrist and therefore a hindrance to the free play during movement of the wrist and are not generally limited in lengthwise expansion and are liable to break easily when overstressed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical type of expansion band.

Another object is to provide an expansible band having the required flexibility to conform with movements of the wearers wrist which tend to adjust the bracelet to the wrist.

Another object of the invention is to provide an expansible and contractible bracelet of relatively low cost to manufacture and without sacrificin the required expansibility or ornamental eifect.

Another object of the invention is to provide an expansible bracelet with tension means so constructed and controlled as to avoid excessive expansion during use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following description taken with the accompanyin drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of a section of a bracelet made in accordance with the present invention and showing a terminal for attachment to a watch;

Fig. 2 is a crosssectional view taken on line II-II in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the bracelet shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the bracelet shown in Fig. 1 but expanded;

Fig. 5 is a front view of a section of the bracelet showing a modification of the link structure;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken on line VI-VI in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a front view of a section of the bracelet showing another modification of the linkage;

Fig. 3 is a VIII-VIII in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a front view of a section of the brace let showin another modification of the linkage, and

Fig. 10 is a cross-section taken on line X--X in Fig. 9.

An expansible bracelet constructed in accordance with the present invention includes a tension element in the form of a continuous resilient wire, indicated as a whole by the numeral ill. This wire is so shaped as to provide what may be termed front and rear straight sections l l and l l respectively, connected by loops preferably in the form of helically coiled springs l2 and 13 as shown. These springs provide appreciable tension and hold the sections H and H in normal close zig-Zag relation.

This tension element of zig-zag form provides an elongated expansible and contractible member on which may be mounted a plurality of what may be termed link members which serve to cover the spring element and to ornament or enhance the appearance of the bracelet.

It will be evident that a bracelet of the present type, as for example when used as a watch band, is subjected to severe strain and may be stretched to its limit by the user. It is essential therefore to avoid the possibility of such excessive expansion which in time would exceed the elastic limit of the tension element and result in breakage due to fatigue of the metal in the stressed parts.

The present invention therefore not only makes it possible to utilize a continuous zig-zag wire as a tension element but provides means whereby the advantage of such use is attained without the danger of excessive detrimental expansion.

The above is accomplished by providing what may be termed retainer members E4. Each of said members extends from a loop ii of one section I i and to a loop I3 of another section 1!.

These retainer members or links it may be of sheet metal of a selected width to provide surfaces l5 which constitute the outer facing of the bracelet and may be provided with suitable ornamentation. The retainer strips or links are formed with extensions 56 and l! which pass through the loops !2 and I3 of the tension element 8. The said extensions which serve as abutments are appreciably smaller in width than the inside diameter of the loops and therefore the tension member is free to expand to the extent of the play allowed by the movement of the extensions but limited by contact between cross-section taken on line portions of the inner surfaces of the loops or coils and the extensions or abutlnents to prevent excessive stretch of the tension element 53. In order to accomplis this the abutments on a retainer strip are by a distance greater than the distance between said portions of the loops when the resilient wire member is contracted.

It will be evident that, in accordance with the present invention, a practical ornamental bracelet may be constructed using a single spring unit which is not only an advantage in providing a more flexible seliadjustin band but is of great advantage from the economic dpoint. In the manufactmze sic tion be .5 as heretofore produced it was l'lSQLoSSJY to incur the cost of assembly attending the use of a plurality of very small springs which to be inserted and arranged for each link. This costly and tedious practice is eliniinat by the present novel arrangement of pro g a single spine; for a series of "nks which serve to not only provide an ornal. ental effect but to control the degree of expansion. of the single spring.

as above the bracelet may be made by uti iner members of links as ornamental y be desirable to pro of what may be termed cover links or plates as illustrated for example in Figs. 5 and 6. As shown cover plates 18 may be provided consisting of two layers 19 and 2! which may be soldered or otherwise secured to the retainer links M.

In Figs. '2 8 cover plates or links 22 are in the form of continuous metallic strips enclosing the retainer links to which the cover plates are soldered or otherwise secured, thus providing a uniform design of linl: on both the front and back of the bracelet.

Figs. 5- and show modification wherein loops 2?? of the tension member 9 are non-circular form or generally oblong. In this construction cover it also serve as retainer members. The plates 51 are formed from sheet metal so as to provide a surface 25 and have portions reversely bent and ex- A i tending through loops and and extending further to provide surface Eli to serve as a cover for the back of arrangement e a tension member made from a wire of greater strength or hardness to give the best practical result.

The pa. provide the ..e link 3% between the hr. celet end and the watch, of a single piece of sheet metal. tensions 5%? and Apertures a .d

.lit the ends of retainer members to the loops and thus se cure the co ector or brineditnto link 3!] to the bracelet lin for attar went to a watch.

prefencd embodiment of the in- Although vention is shown and described. herein, it is to be understood that other nodifications may be made therein without 1" arting from the spirit and scope of the inven n as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An expansible bracelet comprising a continuous resilient wire member forming a plurality of sections, each of said sections comprising an upper closed loop, a lower closed loop and two intersecting straight portions, one of said straight portions connecting said upper and lower loops of said section together and the other connecting the upper loop of said section to the lower loop of the section immediately preceding, substantially parallel metal strips each connecting a corresponding one of said upper closed loops with the lower closed loop in the immediately succeeding one of said sections said strips having abutments to restrict the degree of expansion of said wire member, said abutments being on opposite ends of each of said strips and. disposed within said loops to engage portions of said upper and lower loops when said wire member is expanded, the distance between abutments at 0pposite ends of said strips being greater than the distance between said portions on said upper and lower loops when said wire member is con-v tracted.

2. An expansible bracelet comprising a continuous resilient wire member forming a plurality of sections, each section comprising an upper closed loop, a lower closed loop and two straight portions an ularly disposed with respect to each other, one of said straight portions connecting said upper and lower loops of said section together and the other connecting the upper loop of said section to the lower loop of the section immediately preceding, substantially parallel metal strips each connecting a corresponding one of said upper closed loops with the lower closed loop in th immediately succeeding one of said-sections said strips having abutments to restrict the degree of expansion of said wire member, said abutments bein at the ends of said strips and disposed within said loops for contact with portions thereof when said wire member is expanded, the distance between abutmentsat opposite ends of a strip being greater than the distance of said portions of the loops when the wire member is contracted.

3. An expansible bracelet comprising a continuous resilient wire member forming a plurality of sections, each section comprising an upper coil spring, a lower coil spring and two straight portions angularly disposed with respect to each other, on of said straight portions connecting said upper and lower coil springs of said section together and the other connecting the upper coil spring of said section to the lower coil spring of the section immediately preceding, said upper and lower coil spring biasing said straight portions of said sections toward. the contracted position of said wire member, substantially parallel metal strips each connecting a corresponding one of said upper coil springs with the lower coil spring in the immediately succeeding one of said sections, said strips having abutments to restrict the degree of expansion of said wire member, said abutments being on the opposite ends of each of said strips and disposed within said coil springs for abutting portions thereof when said wire member is in expanded condition, the distance between the abutments at opposite ends of said strips being greater than the distance between said portions when said wire member is con tracted.

4. An expansible bracelet comprising a continuous resilient wire member forming a plurality of sections, each section comprising an upper helical spring, a lower helical spring and two intersecting straight portions connecting said upper and lower helical springs of said section together and the other connecting the upper helical spring of said section to the lower helical of the sectionimmediately preceding, said upper and lower helical springs biasing said straight portions of said sections toward the contracted position. of said wire member, substantially parallel metal strips each connecting a corresponding one of said upper helical springs with the lower helical spring in the immediately succeeding one of said sections, said strips having abutments to restrict the degree of expansion of said wire member, said abutments being at opposite ends of said strips and disposed within said helical springs engaging portions of the springs when said wire member is expanded, said abutments being spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between said portions of said springs when said wire member is contracted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 189,986 Armstrong Apr. 24, 1877 Number Name Date Moore Feb. 19, 1878 Cremonesi Sept. 6, 1892 Kastner Apr. 26, 1938 Levine Mar. 20, 1945 Saccoccio May 28, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain July 11, 1929 Germany Apr. 2, 1930 France Jan. 10, 1948 

